Syrian Leader Announces Support for Lebanese Counterpart to Disarm Hezbollah

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Syrian Leader Announces Support for Lebanese Counterpart to Disarm Hezbollah

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday declared his support for his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun in the latter's effort to disarm Hezbollah, state media reported.

The Middle East war expanded to Lebanon on March 2, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting Israeli retaliation.

Since March 2, Israel has been conducting large-scale air raids on Lebanon and incursions with ground troops, killing at least 486 people according to the Lebanese health ministry.

"We stand alongside Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in disarming Hezbollah," Sharaa said during a video conference with top European officials.

The Syrian army has bolstered its troop deployments on the country's borders with Lebanon and Iraq, a Syrian government source told AFP on Wednesday.

"We have reinforced our defensive forces along the border as a precaution to prevent the repercussions of the conflict from spilling over onto Syrian territory, and to combat cross-border organizations and prevent them from using Syrian soil," Sharaa said.

On Monday, Aoun accused Hezbollah of seeking the "collapse" of the Lebanese state with its decision to launch rockets towards Israel.

Iran-backed Hezbollah was a prominent ally of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, sending forces to help him in the civil war.

His brutal rule was brought to an end in December 2024 and he was replaced by new authorities hostile to Hezbollah.



Jordan Says it Shot Down 4 Missiles Launched by Iran

The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
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Jordan Says it Shot Down 4 Missiles Launched by Iran

The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo

The Jordanian military said on Monday it had shot down four Iranian missiles over the country, which Tehran said were intended as retaliation for US strikes.

"At dawn today, air defense systems intercepted and shot down four missiles that had entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory," an official source from the Jordanian General Staff said

There were no reports of injuries or damage to property.


Arab League Secretary-General Reiterates Rejection of Iranian Attacks on Arab States

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy. (Arab League)
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy. (Arab League)
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Arab League Secretary-General Reiterates Rejection of Iranian Attacks on Arab States

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy. (Arab League)
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy. (Arab League)

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy reiterated his condemnation of Iran's continued attacks against several Arab states, affirming that such actions constitute a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter and threaten regional security, stability, and the freedom of international navigation.

In a statement, Fahmy rejected any practices that infringe on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab states, stressing that Arab national security is indivisible and that any attack on the sovereignty of any Arab state requires a unified Arab position.

The secretary-general reaffirmed the Arab League's full solidarity with the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, calling on the Security Council to take effective steps to halt these violations and ensure respect for international law and the security of international navigation.

Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Sunday targeting US military facilities in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions following US strikes on Iranian targets.


Sudan Court Sentences RSF Leader to Death in Absentia

Burnt shops lies down closed in downtown in Khartoum, Sudan June 25, 2026.  REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Burnt shops lies down closed in downtown in Khartoum, Sudan June 25, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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Sudan Court Sentences RSF Leader to Death in Absentia

Burnt shops lies down closed in downtown in Khartoum, Sudan June 25, 2026.  REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Burnt shops lies down closed in downtown in Khartoum, Sudan June 25, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

A court in Sudan's army-controlled city of Port Sudan on Sunday sentenced paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and 15 others to death in absentia over charges of killing a regional governor and war crimes in Darfur, state media reported.

The ruling, issued by a judiciary functioning under the army, is the first against the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since war broke out between the group and the Sudanese army in April 2023.

The court convicted Dagalo and the other defendants of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and attacks on civilians and public facilities, state news agency SUNA reported.

Those sentenced include Dagalo's brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, as well as several RSF officers and tribal leaders from Arab communities in West Darfur, AFP said.

The case centers on the killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abbakar in June 2023, shortly after RSF forces seized El-Geneina, the state capital.

Abbakar was killed hours after accusing the RSF and allied militias of carrying out attacks against civilians.

UN experts determined that between 10,000 and 15,000 people, mostly from the Massalit ethnic group, were killed in El-Geneina during the violence.

The RSF has repeatedly denied allegations of genocide and other war crimes.

The court said it would refer the case to the Supreme Court for review and seek the arrest and extradition of those convicted through Interpol and other international channels.

Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Daglo had jointly led the 2021 coup that derailed Sudan's transition to civilian rule, before falling out over plans to integrate the RSF into the regular army, a dispute that eventually led to war.

Now in its fourth year, the conflict between the army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million and triggered what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.